First off I know I don't post much these days. I'm pretty busy working and doing the fulltime band thing. But I still browse the gear section just about everyday to check for spam and whatnot. So yes, I'm still here.
Now, a little update on my gear.
Heads:
(Main amp)
Peavey 5150II:
- Internally this bad boy has had a grip of mods done by JerryP over at
www.FJAmods.com. for those of you who don't know, JerryP is probably most well known for his killer work on the 5150 series.
Mods done:
1. Bias & Clarity mod w/ probe.
2. Restore Rythem & Lead channel to MKI specs mods.
3. Custom Mercury Magnetics output transformer.
4. Mercury Magnetics choke.
5. Adjustable Noise Reduction Circuit.
6. Push/Pull Tone shift for the low control on the Lead channel.
All mods were done before I bought the amp.
- Cosmetically it's in great shape and very clean. As you can see it has the grill mod done so you can see the tubes and trannies.
- Powertubes are ENGL 6l6gcs which are basically relabeled JJ 6l6gcs, In the preamp are all JJ ecc83s's except the phase inverter which is a balanced Sovtek 12ax7lps.
(Backup amp)
Peavey 5150:
- Internally It's stock and shall stay stock. The amp works perfectly.
- Cosmetically it has a few changes made(Most of it was before I bought it.), notably the grill mod, blue leds replacing the red and green ones. It's pretty banged up with lots of scuffs and tears, a couple missing knobs, just overall dirty, and a sticker for good measure. I may buy new knobs and clean it up a little. But overall it's a rocker that has lived and will continue to live a hard life on the road.
- Powertubes are JJ 6l6gcs. Preamp tubes are four Tung Sol 12ax7 reissues. The phase inverter is a balanced Sovtek 12ax7lps.
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Cabs:
Electricamp 6x12:
- The speakers are Eminence Man O Wars.
- Weber Beam Blockers have been installed.
- Unpractical? You bet! It's like furniture.
VHT Fatbottom 4x12 slant:
- The speakers are Eminence P50e's.
- Weber Beam Blockers have been installed.
- This is my practical gigging/touring cab.
I bought the 5150 because I needed a good cheap amp with a killer high gain tone and cosmetics don't mean anything to me other than a cheaper price tag. For a measly $400 I couldnt pass it up.
I bought the modded 5150II because I wanted more flexibility than the 5150 but with the familiar sound. Also so I could keep the 5150 as my backup.
The cleans are much much much better than my stock 5150's due to the independant eq aswell as mods performed. The stock 5150 still cleans up just fine for most of my needs. And remember, a good deal of how your cleans sound will depend on your guitar.
The footswitchable crunch is great although the volume difference is noticable making it hard to dail in like it's a 3rd channel.
The 5150II's lead channel doesnt have as much "buzzsaw" to it as the stock 5150. a lot of that has to due with the bias mod reducing crossover distortion aswell as the JJ preamp tubes and 1 less gain stage in the 5150II's. This can be good or bad depending on your preference, there is still insane amounts of gain in the 5150II and you can definately get brutal with it. There is more low end and a lot more clarity and tightness about the 5150II overall too.
The tone shift on the low end is great with my Tele, but otherwise I've found the extra low end to be a little much with humbucking guitars.
The noise reduction circuit is nice! Even with it turned all the way down The 5150II is already a lot quieter than my 5150. But when you turn it up it's almost silent and it doesnt seem to have much change on your tone. This is not a gate btw so If you use retarded amounts of gain and have serious feedback issues you may want to still use a gate.
And now, a couple pics of the 5150's.
Noise reduction control
Bias probe
Top 5150 Bottom 5150II
Total destruction of your eardrums.
More pics and info to come of guitars and pedals and whatnot. Hopefully I can get a huge pic of all my guitar stuff sometime.
